Murray wins Cincy title after Djokovic retires
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For the first time since last November, Novak up.
He has Andy Murray and a shoulder injury to thank for that.
Murray was on his way to victory in the second set of their championship match Sunday at the $2.43 million Western & Southern Open when the top-ranked Serbian retired. Murray was up 6-4, 3-0 at the time.
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Murray picked up his second title of the year, while Djokovic was unable to win his 10th in a row and sustain his incredible run of success.
The Serbian entered Sunday with a 57-1 record overall, and a 33-0 mark in hardcourts. He had won nine titles -- including a win over Murray in the final at the Australian Open, a victory over Rafael Nadal for the Wimbledon crown and six Masters championships -- and risen to No. 1 in the world.
His only loss had come against Roger Federer in the semifinals of the French Open.
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But Sunday, Djokovic had little working for him. He won only 46 percent of his service points and was broken four times by Murray, who improved to 4-6 in his career against Djokovic. The fourth-seeded Scotsman also picked up his second career Cincinnati title, having also won in 2008.
Djokovic hadn't lost a final since Federer beat him for the Basel title last November.
It's not certain how Djokovic's shoulder injury will affect him heading into the U.S. Open. First-round play begins August 29, giving the Serbian a little more than a week to recuperate.
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But after Sunday, Murray, a runner-up to Federer at the 2008 U.S. Open, will go into it with a head of steam.